Morcombe trial: the key figures

Previously appointed a Deputy Director of Prosecutions, high-profile Crown barrister Michael Byrne successfully prosecuted convicted triple murder Max Sica after what was the longest trial in Queensland’s history in 2012.

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Barrister Glen Cash was appointed to the position of Consultant Crown Prosecutor for the Department of Public Prosecutions in 2012.

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Among his more recent high-profile cases was his successful prosecution of the man who stabbed Brisbane teenager Phillip Halipilias to death on the dance floor at the Alexandra Hills Hotel.

Mr Cash is also involved in the case against accused wife-killer Gerard Baden-Clay.

Barrister Tim Meehan

The managing partner of Brisbane-based criminal defence law firm Ryan and Bosscher Lawyers, Tim Meehan, will represent Brett Cowan during the trial.

Mr Meehan completed dual degrees in law and arts at Griffith University, before being admitted as a solicitor to the Supreme Court of Queensland.

Since 2000, Mr Meehan has practised exclusively as a criminal defence lawyer, representing hundreds of accused people across Queensland, as well as interstate.

Brett Cowan

Brett Peter Cowan was arrested on August 13, 2011, over the abduction and murder of Daniel Morcombe. Mr Cowan is facing charges of murder, child stealing, deprivation of liberty, indecent treatment of a child and interfering with a corpse.

He has three known children. His wife, whom he met on the Sunshine Coast, now lives in the United States.

His parents live in the Fraser Coast town of Hervey Bay, his mother part of the local RSL and his dad a Vietnam veteran.

Bruce and Denise Morcombe

Sunshine Coast parents Bruce and Denise Morcombe were leading a normal life when Daniel, 13, was taken from a bus stop on the Sunshine Coast in December, 2003.

Ever since, they have fought two heartfelt campaigns - to find Daniel and educate children about stranger danger through a foundation set up in their son’s name.

The stoic child protection crusaders are now among the most recognisable faces in Australia.

The Daniel Morcombe Foundation has grown significantly because of the couple’s work, and includes a national day of action in which up to a million supporters, including hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren, participated last year.